Cutting and gripping mechanism for printing machines



W. F. HUCK Nov. 17, 1953 CUTTING AND GRIPPING MECHANISM FOR PRINTINGMACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 4, 1947 C W N R M m I M. m U LYWIB Nov. 17, 1953 w. c 2,659,437

CUTTING AND GRIPPING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed March 4, 194'3 Sheets-Sheet 2 PHPER 1w:

/NVEN7'OR \Nu-L/AM F Hucmw. F. HUCK 2,659,437

MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Nov. 17, 1953 CUTTING AND GRIPPING 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 4, 1947 n a K A V mm MV////////////////////.mmwm

a. x m ya Patented Nov. 17, 1953 UNITED STATE 9 CUTTING AND GRIPPINGMECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINE S William F. Huck, Forest Hills, N.

Y., assignor to This invention relates to high speed web printingmachines and more particularly to a cutting,

delivery mechanism,

speed.

Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an improvedcombined cutting, folding and slow-speed delivery mechanism that canadvantageously be used with modern high speed printing machines of thetype that are generally used to print newspapers, magazines and otherprinted. products and which will not have the above undesirablefeatures.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved web cuttingmechanism.

Still another object of the invention is to pro- Vide an improvedfolding mechanism. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved deliverymechanism.

Other important objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and appended claims Portions of the invention notclaimed herein are described and claimed in a divisional patentapplication Serial No. 206.159, filed January 16, 1951.

For a complete understanding of this invention, reference should be madeto the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. i is a vertical cross sectional View taken ting and grippingmechanisms embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View of the mechanism as seen in the directionof the arrows and taken substantially along the broken line 2-2 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of cu ting and grippingmechanisms shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig. 3 but showing advanced stages ofthe cutting and gripping operations;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the folding mechanisms shownin Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 6 but showing an advanced stage of thefolding operation;

Fig. 8 shows a detail of one of the cutting knives; and

Figs. 9 and 10 invention.

Referring to the drawings, this invention has show a modified form ofthe propelling roller l2, second and third rotatable propelling rollersI3 and it, a rotatable cutting roller I 5, a rotatable collectingcylinder l6, a rotatable folding cylinder down roller It, a pair ofnon-rotatable stationary a plurality of pivotally mounted adjustingshafts 23, 23' and 23".

The rollers supported in a pair of ee- 25 and 25 which in turn arerotatably supported in frames II and H respectively. Each bearing box 25and 25 is proshaft 23, 24. By turning the handle 24, the eccentric boxes25 and 26 the cylinder 16.

As the web W passes beyond the roller l4, it is acted upon by coactingcutting knives 35 and 36, the collecting cylinder |6 supporting threeknives 36, whereas, the cutting cylinder supports two knives 35. It willbe understood that the cylinders l5 and I6 are driven in a mannerhereinafter described and at such speeds that one of the knives willalways coact with one of the knives 36. Each of the knives 36 on thecylinder |6 is positioned entirely cylinder l6 and each blade has astraight cutting edge that is parallel with the axis of cylinder l6.Each of the knives 35 on the cylinder |5 are V-shaped, as best seen inFig. 2. By this arrangement, which is known as involute cutting, theknives start to cut the web W simultaneously at both outer edges as theknives start to engage, and the cutting progresses inwardly from theedges of the web until the two cuts join at the center of the web, atwhich instant a sheet bethe web W. This method of cutting produces aperfectly straight cut. Each of the knives 36 is mounted for limitedpivotal movement by means of a fulcrum groove 3| (Fig. 3) thatcooperates with a fulcrum tongue 39 formed on one side of a support bar34 that is secured to the cylinder 3 by a plurality of bolts 40, and byhaving a compression spring 31 that biases the knife 36 against a stop38 formed on the bar 34.

Each of the knives 35 has the form of an involute throughout the portionof the are that is used for cutting. However, the tips 35' (Fig. 2) atboth ends of the blade 35, outside of the paper range, are rounded to asmaller radius in order 4 to provide for easy engagement of any one ofthe knives 35 with any cooperating knife 36, which is also provided withsimilarly rounded edges of smaller diameter. The smaller radius tips onthe blades 35 and 36 lie outside of the shearing portion of the knives.With this arrangement, it is possible to co-act different pairs ofknives for each engagement without adjusting any of the knives to agreat degree of accuracy. When the two knives 35 and 36 are engaged, theknife 36 moves pivotally on the tongue 39 against the bias of thesprings 31, and is forced against the knife 35. Firm shearing actionbetween the knives 35 and 36 is obtained by resiliently mounting one ofthe knives. In the embodiment illustrated this is accomplished bypivotally mounting one of the knives and biasing it by spring 31. Otherresilient means may be employed, however.

The cylinder I6 is provided with a plurality of clearance spaces eachbeing located in a leading position ahead of each of the knives 36. Asthe web is severed by the knives 35 and 36 (Fig. 3) the trailing cutedge St of the sheet S being cut off is forced by the forward face ofthe knife 35 to enter the recess 43 (see Figs. 3 and 4). At the sametime the leading cut edge W1 of the web from which the sheet is beingcut is forced by a tucking blade 46 (Fig. 4) into a position leading thegripper 41. This position is in a recess 53 formed in the cylinder l6 ina position trailing the knife 36. (The tucking blades 46 are carried bythe cutting roller |5 in a parallel trailing relationship to the knives35 and are held in position by the bolts 42 which are the same boltsthat hold the knives 35 in place.) A short time thereafter a row offingers 49 (Fig. 4) which are made of spring metal and carried by theroller |5 in an angled relationship to the blades 46, press and hold theleading cut edge W1 of the web W, from which the sheet is being outagainst below the surface of the set of grippers 41 will be open as thesurface of the cylinder I6, and thus assist momentarily in forwardingthe leading edge of the web. It will be realized that the cut trailingedge of the sheet S is bowed with respect to the cylinder l6 during thetime the cut is being made. This is due to the fact that the knives cutthe web from the edges progressively toward the center. The cylinder I6is provided with three sets of equally spaced grippers 41, and eachgripper 41 is positioned approximately radially with respect to thecylinder l6 and no part of said grippers extends beyond the peripheralsurface of said cylinder. Each gripper 41 is supported from a shaft 48that is pivotally mounted on the cylinder |6. Each set of grippers 41 isopened and closed at the proper instant by a lever 52 having a camroller 50 which is acted upon by a cam 5| supported from the frame II bybolts 54. The shape of the cam 5| is such that each they approach thepoint of cutting. This allows the tucking blade 46 to press the leadingedge We of the web into the recess 53. The grippers 41, under control ofthe cam 5|, close (Fig. 5) to press the leading edge W1 of the webagainst the trailing side of the knife 36. It should be noted that thebite of the grippers is substantially radially disposed on the cylinderl6, that the grippers grip the paper on the side that is toward thecylinder, and that each gripper is substantially below the surface ofthe cylinder and therefore underneath the paper. Preferably the gripperswill remain closed for the remainder of the revolution of the cylinderl6, opening only at a point just prior to the cutting operation ashereinbefore described, and, as will be better understood when theremainder of this description has been read, the sheet is pulled fromthe grippers while the cam is holding them closed.

In addition to the above described mechanism, the cylinder |6 carriesthree sets of flexible folding blades 59, the supported ends of whichare securely bolted to the cylinder IS. The unsupported ends of theblades 59 may or may not, as desired, protrude slightly above thesurface of said cylinder l6, and these blades are positionedsubstantially radially with respect to this cylinder. The blades 59cooperate with a jaw seat 6| and a jaw blade 62, two sets of which arecarried one-hundred eighty degrees apart on the folding cylinder |1.Each seat 6| is secured to the cylinder H by a bolt 58 and, like thefolding blade 59, may or may not protrude above the surface of thecylinder l1 and is positioned substantially radially with respect to thecylinder |1.'

Each jaw blade 62 is pivotally carried on the cylinder H by beingsecured to a pivotally mounted shaft 66 and each blade 62 may or may notprotrude slightly above the surface of the cylinder l1. The shaft 66carries an abutment arm 86 and a cam arm 65, the latter supporting a camroller 64. The shaft 66 and the blade 62 are under control of the camroller 64, which rides in a cam groove 63 supported from the frame Asthe center So of the sheet S or collated sheets, which are held to thecylinder l6 by grippers 41, arrives at the bite between cylinders l6 andi1, one of the jaw blades 62 (Fig. 6) gradually folds the paper aroundthe folding blade 59, and finally presses this folded edge against thejaw seat 6|, thereby, securing the center fold of the cut sheet S ontothe cylinder H. The travel of the jaws 6|-62 around the cylinder |1(Fig. 7) carries the sheet with them and pulls the leading edge S1 ofthe sheet from the grasp of gripper 47. In Fig. 1, it will be noted,that the pull on the sheet by the jaws Bi- 2 tends to open the gripperll.

pull of the sheet on the gripper blade blade to the open position. Asthe cylinder 2? to turn and carry with it the folded the sheet, theleading edge S1 and edge S of the cut sheet or sheets become lined up orcollinear.

The cylinder H, in addition to the jaws 6I$2, also carries a pair ofslow down rollers it, these being spaced one-hundred eighty degrees(180) apart around the cylinder. Each roller ill is rotatably driven, bygears presently to be described, to rotate in such directionthat theirperipheral surfaces will move in a direc tion opposite to that in whichthe peripheral surface of the cylinder l? moves. This results in asurface carried by the cylinder if that in relation to a fixed pointrnoves slower than does the surface of the said cylinder ll. The rollerl8, that is driven at a peripherial speed of approximately one-eighth4;) the peripherial speed of the cylinder ll, cooperates with the pairof rollers l6, and in the preferred mechanism the relative periphericalor surface speed point on the cylinder id is equal to the surfaceportion of the trailing speed of the roller it when the two are adjacentone another. The roller it is spaced from the surface of the cylinder lla sufficient distance so that the surface of the roller it does notcntact the surface of the cylinder ll. In fact, this spacing is of suchmagnitude that the folded product S can pass between the surfaces of thecylinder I! and the roller is without being pressed therebetween exceptwhen one of the rollers it is opposite the roller I8. Thus, when one ofthe rollers ill and the roller it are opposite each other they pinch thecollinear trailing edge or tail Sit-S1 of the folded product with firmcontact and due to their relatively slow speeds they pull the leadingfolded edge So of the product from the fast moving jaws iii-2, which atthe proper instant are opened by the action of the cam 63. Thus thefolded product is slowed down to approximately one-eighth of itsoriginal speed, and since the product is slowed down only by the rollers18 and Hi acting on the trailing or rear unprinted margin thereof, theproduct is in no way damaged, cut or punctured as is the case in manyprior art devices. The position of the roller 18 can be adjustedlaterally with respect to the cylinder I7 and the rollers '58. This isaccomplished by a pair of eccentric bearing bushings 'II and 12, theshaft 23" and a handle 24" in much the same way as the rollers it and itare adjusted with respect to the cylinder It. When belt conveyor 56 thatis driven at slow speed and in either direction desired by a motor orother means not here shown.

The various rollers and cylinders, hereinbefore described, are driven inthe following manner. A main drive gear '53 is driven by a motor orother prime mover (not shown), and this gear is in mesh with a gear Mthat is keyed to a shaft 75 that mounts one end of the folding cylinderH. The opposite end of the cylinder ll has a hollow shaft '35 which hassecured to it a pinion 16 that is in mesh with a gear ll keyed to ashaft 18 for the roller ill. Keyed tothis same shaft 18 is a gear 8|that meshes with a pinion 86 keyed to the end down rollers 78. The gear74, in addition to driving the shaft 75, meshes with and drives a gear87 that is keyed on the end of a shaft 88 gear 89 keyed on shaft 99 ofthe cutting roller l5. also meshes with a gear 97 keyed to the end ofthe shaft for the roller [4, the roller it being driven in a similar,though not shown, manner.

and It, will be equal. It is frequently the practice to imprint a web Wso that the printed. matter is repeated. vWhen edge S1 of the first therollers I 2 and the cylinder l6, itis positioned are removed from thecylinder, as hereinbefore set forth for the sheet 5 when only one sheetwas being gripped.

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate a second preferred embodiment of theinvention, which is identical with bolts Hi l, only one of which isshown in the drawings. The shaft 163 is pivotally supported between thetwo side frames H and H keyed to it an adjusting lever 535. The leverN36 is adjustably held between a pair of adjusting screws if that arethreaded into bosses its, protruding from one of the peripherial speedtion to the surface speed of the cylinder I on equal to and opposite indirec'-' which they are mounted. This results in the provision on therotating cylinder H of a surface that is stationary relative to thestationary stop plate NH and shoe I02, when the said surface is oppositethe said shoe I02. Thus, when the trailing unprinted margins St and S1of the sheet S are caught between the rollers and the stationary shoe(02, the folded product S will be pulled from the grip of the jaws 61-62, which are opened at this instant by the cam 53 acting on the camroller 64. This results in the speed of the folded product being reducedto zero. As the roller 10 moves beyond its position opposite the shoeI02, the stationary product S drops onto the conveyor belts 56. Themeans of driving the rollers 10 is somewhat similar to that previouslydescribed. A pinion, not shown in Fig. 10 but equivalent to pinion 80 ofFig. 2, drives gear Bim which is rotatably mounted on an extension M38of the adjusting shaft 33. The gear Tim is likewise rotatably mounted onthe extension W9. A pin III is threaded through a hole in the gear 8lmand into a hole in gear 11m, thereby causing the two gears to rotate inunison. The gear 11 drives a gear, not shown in Fig. 10 but which isequivalent to the gear 16 shown in Fig. 2, and from this point on thetwo drives for the rollers 10 are similar except for the speed ratiospreviously described.

While I have illustrated and described two preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that the invention may be otherwiseembodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. In a cutting and gripping mechanism for use with high speed webprinting machines, a pair of web cutting knives, a collecting cylinderon which one of said knives is mounted and said cylinder having a recesstrailing said knife, a gripper carried by said cylinder in said recessand being positioned entirely below the surface of said cylinder, andmeans for causing said gripper to press the leading end of said webagainst the trailing surface of said knife.

2. In a cutting and gripping mechanism for'use with high speed printingmachines operating on a web, a large diameter cylinder around which saidweb is wrapped, a straight edged cutting means carried by said cylinderand positioned entirely below the surface thereof, a V -shaped cuttingmeans arranged to coact with said straight cutting means, radiallypositioned grippers carried by said large diameter cylinder, and tuckingblades associated with said V-shaped cutting means; said tucking bladesbeing arranged to tuck the leading end of said web beneath saidgrippers.

3. In a cutting and gripping mechanism for use with high speed webprinting machines, a straight edged cutting knife, a large diametercollecting cylinder carrying said cutting knife and having a recesstrailing said knife, and said straight edged cutting knife beingpositioned entirely below the surface of said cylinder, a second cuttingknife arranged to coact with said straight edged cutting knife; saidsecond cutting knife being vshaped in form and arranged to sever the webby starting simultaneously at both edges and finishing the cut at thevcenter of the web, a gripper being carried by said collecting cylinderin said recess and being positioned entirely below the surface of saidcylinder, andmeans for cans.- ing said gripper to press the leading endof said web against the trailing surface of said cutting knife.

4. In a cutting an gripping mechanism for use with high speed printingmachines operating on a web; a first cylinder rotating in apredetermined direction; a second cylinder adjacent said first cylinderand rotating in the opposite direction so that the surfaces of said twocylinders move in the same direction, a first cutting knife carried bysaid first cylinder; a second cutting knife carried by said secondcylinder, said second cylinder having a recess trailing said secondcutting knife, and said cutting knives being arranged to cut a sheetfrom said web; a gripper carried by said second cylinder and operatingin said recess in said second cylinder; a tucking blade carried by saidfirst cylinder and arranged to tuck the leading end of said web fromwhich the sheet is cut into said recess in said second cylinder; afinger also carried by said first cylinder and arranged to hold the sameleading end of said web against said second cylinder; and means foroperating said gripper in such a manner that the said gripper grips theleading end of said web.

5. In a cutting and gripping mechanism for high speed web printingmachines, a first cutting knife; means for rotatable mounting said firstcutting knife; a second cutting knife cooperating with said firstcutting knife for cutting a sheet from the leading end of a web andthereby providing a new leading end for the web; means for rotatablymounting said second cutting knife; a pressing finger carried by saidmeans for rotatably mounting said second cutting knife, said pressingfinger having a forward end which engages the new leading end of the weband presses said new leading end against the means for rotatablymounting said first cutting knife; a tucking blade also carried b saidmeans for rotatably mounting said second cutting knife, said tuckingblade having a forward edge which projects and engages the new leadingend of the web, thereby bending the new leading end of the web adjacentsaid first cutting knife; and a gripper carried by said means forrotatably mounting said first cutting blade, said gripper having aforward portion adjacent the new leading end of web as said new leadingend is bent by said tucking blade; and means causing said gripper togrip the new leading end of said web.

6. A cutting and gripping mechanism constructed in accordance with claim5 and wherein, said tucking blade is located in a position trailing saidsecond cutting knife and said pressing finger is located in a positiontrailing said tucking blade.

'7. A cutting and gripping mechanism constructed in accordance withclaim 5 and wherein, said gripper is located in a position trailing saidfirst cutting knife. 7

8. A cutting and gripping mechanism constructed in accordance with claim5 and wherein, one of said cutting blades is an involute blade, andwherein one of said blades is V-shaped in form and is arranged to severthe web by starting simultaneously at both edges and finishing the cutat the center of the web.

9. In a cutting, and gripping mechanism for use with high speed webprinting machines, a pair of cutting edges for severing the web, acollecting cylinder on which one of said cutting edges is mounted andsaid cylinder having a recess trail.- ing said cutting edge, a gripperand an anvil carried by said cylinder in said recess and being posiwebhas been severed by said cutting edges.

WILLIAM F. HUCK.

References Cited in the file Of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 162,607 Biedinger Apr. 27, 1875 880,465 Price Feb. 25, 19081,139,528 Hufiman May 18, 1915 Number

